JP5602517B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile.

  In the image forming apparatus, the sheet fed from the feeding unit is conveyed through a series of conveying paths through processes such as a transfer unit, a fixing unit, and a discharging unit. In recent image forming apparatuses, a series of transport paths are arranged perpendicular to the side surface of the main body, and a discharge space is placed inside or on the upper surface of the main body to reduce the size of the apparatus.

  In order to improve maintainability and jam handling of the sheet conveyance path, a door is provided along the sheet conveyance path in the vertical direction separately from the manual feed tray to secure a jam processing space and further visibility of jammed sheets. To make jam handling easier. Further, half of the paired conveyance rollers and conveyance guides are integrated into a door unit, and the door unit is opened from the main body, thereby improving the sheet conveyance path maintainability and jam clearance.

  If the door and the manual feed tray are provided separately, the number of parts increases and the cost increases. Furthermore, if the manual feed tray is left open, the manual feed tray becomes an obstacle and it is difficult to perform jam processing. Therefore, a manual feed unit is disposed in the door unit.

  When the door unit that can rotate around the rotation axis parallel to the installation surface of the main unit and the manual feed tray are integrated, the manual feed tray also rotates around the rotation axis when the door unit is opened. There was a problem that the loaded sheets tilted and dropped. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-130789 has a configuration shown in FIGS. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration during feeding of sheets from the manual feed tray in this image forming apparatus, and FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration when the door unit is opened to the maximum. As shown in these drawings, the manual feed portion having the manual feed tray 101 is integrated with the door unit 102 so as not to have two open portions. Then, the rotation angle of the manual feeding portion is limited by engaging the shaft support portion 103 of the door unit 102 and the elongated hole 104 provided in the manual feeding portion with the link member 105. As a result, there has been proposed an image forming apparatus in which the sheets stacked on the manual feeding portion do not tilt and fall even when the door unit is opened.

JP 2001-130789 A

  In the above prior art, the shaft support for opening the door unit and the slot provided in the manual feed tray are engaged by the link member, and the link member is moved from the outside in conjunction with the opening operation of the door unit. I support it. For this reason, the door unit and the manual feed tray need a gap in which the link member can move, so operating noise leaks from the gap in which the link member moves, or the door needs an opening to move the link member. The door strength is insufficient.

  Further, when the manual feed tray is opened, the link member protrudes to the lower portion of the feeding tray, so that space must be secured. In particular, when the shaft support portion of the door unit and the shaft support portion of the manual feed tray are provided apart from each other, the space in which the link member protrudes also increases. On the other hand, when the shaft support portion of the door unit and the shaft support portion of the manual feed tray are provided at the same position or close to each other, it is difficult to realize the mechanism of the prior art.

In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, and is rotated around a first rotation axis on a side surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus. A door portion that can be opened and closed, and a door portion that is provided so as to be able to open and close by rotating about a second rotation axis, and for manually feeding the sheet to the image forming apparatus when opened A manual feed tray having a stacking surface on which the sheets are stacked, sheet supply means for supplying the sheets stacked on the manual feed tray to the apparatus main body for image formation, and one end attached to the apparatus main body, The other end is attached to the manual feed tray, and includes a connecting member that connects the apparatus main body and the manual feed tray so as to lift the manual feed tray, and is bent so as to lift the connecting member at the door portion. then, the Even if the part is open, the angle around the second rotation axis of the stacking surface of the manual feed tray is characterized in that for regulation such that the upward direction than the horizontal.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the apparatus main body and the manual feed tray are directly connected by the connecting member, and the manual feed tray is supported so that the connecting member lifts up. In the pivoting operation of the door portion, the pivoting angle is regulated so that the manual feed tray has an angle higher than the horizontal direction. This eliminates the need for a connecting member that supports the manual feed tray from below, and eliminates the need for providing a relatively large opening through which the connecting member passes. Therefore, it is possible to reduce sound leakage from the opening during operation and improve the strength of the door.

It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the image forming apparatus of the reference example of this invention. In a reference example , it is a schematic diagram showing composition when a manual feed tray is pulled out with a door unit closed. In a reference example , it is a schematic diagram showing composition which has opened a door unit in the state where a manual feed tray was pulled out. In a reference example , it is a schematic diagram showing composition when a door unit is opened to the maximum with a manual feed tray pulled out. In the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is a schematic diagram showing a configuration for pulling out a manual feed tray in a state in which a door unit provided with a connecting member bending portion is closed. In embodiment , it is the schematic which shows the structure in open | release of the door unit which provided the connection member bending part in the state which pulled out the manual feed tray. In embodiment , it is the schematic which shows a structure when the door unit which provided the connection member bending part was opened to the maximum in the state which pulled out the manual feed tray. In embodiment , it is a figure which shows the opening part of the door unit which lets a connection member pass. In embodiment , it is the schematic which shows the structure of the winding mechanism of a connection member. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration during feeding of a sheet from a manual feed tray in a conventional image forming apparatus. It is the schematic which shows a structure when a door unit is opened to the maximum in the image forming apparatus of a prior art.

Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, the image forming apparatus according to the reference example will be described before the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment is described. Further, the dimensions, materials, relative positions, and the like of the components of the image forming apparatus are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified.

[ Reference example ]
<Overall configuration of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a reference example of the present invention. The image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body 1 of the image forming apparatus and a door unit (door portion) 2 provided on a side surface of the apparatus main body 1 with a vertical conveyance path as a boundary. The apparatus main body 1 includes a feeding unit 3, a sheet conveying unit 8, a process unit 11, a transfer unit 15, a fixing unit 17, and a discharge unit 20. The feeding unit 3 includes a feeding cassette 4, a feeding roller 6, and a separation roller 7. The sheet conveyance unit 8 includes an intermediate conveyance roller pair 9, a registration roller pair 10, and the like. The process unit 11 includes a photoconductor 12, an intermediate transfer member 13, a toner bottle 14, and the like. The transfer unit 15 includes a transfer roller pair 16. The fixing unit 17 includes a fixing roller 18 and a pressure roller 19. The discharge unit 20 includes a discharge roller pair 21 and the like.

  The door unit 2 is provided with a manual feed portion 22 that manually feeds a sheet to the apparatus main body. The manual feed unit 22 includes a manual feed tray 23, a manual feed roller (sheet supply means) 24 for supplying the sheet P stacked on the manual feed tray 23 to the apparatus main body 1 for image formation, and a manual feed separation pad. 25 or the like. Further, the door unit 2 is provided so as to be able to open and close from the apparatus main body 1 with a vertical conveyance path as a boundary by rotating about a shaft support portion (first rotation shaft) 26.

  Here, the sheet conveying operation will be described. In the feeding unit 3, sheets (sheets) P cut to a predetermined size are stacked on the feeding cassette 4. The sheets P are sequentially taken out one by one from the feeding cassette 4 by the feeding roller 6 and sent to the pressure contact portion between the feeding roller 6 and the separation roller 7. The separation roller 7 separates and feeds the sheets P one by one. The sheet P separated into one sheet is conveyed from the feeding cassette 4 by the feeding roller 6, reaches the sheet conveying unit 8, and is conveyed to the registration roller pair 10 by the intermediate conveying roller pair 9. Here, timing synchronization for transferring the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer body 13 by the process unit 11 to a predetermined position on the sheet P is measured, and the toner image is conveyed to the transfer unit 15 by the registration roller pair 10. Thereafter, the toner image is transferred, and the sheet P on which the image is formed is conveyed to the fixing unit 17. The fixing unit 17 includes a fixing roller 18 and a pressure roller 19 that incorporate a heater. Then, the transferred toner image is fixed by applying heat and pressure to the passing sheet P. Thereafter, the sheet P is conveyed by the discharge roller pair 21 and discharged to a discharge tray (not shown) outside the image forming apparatus through a discharge port.

  When the sheet P is conveyed from the manual feed unit 22, the manual feed unit 22 housed in the door unit 2 can be opened and closed by rotating around a shaft support part (second rotation shaft) 27. is there. When the sheet is pulled out and opened, the sheets P can be stacked on the sheet stacking surface which is the upper surface of the manual feed tray 23. For this reason, the door unit 2 and the manual feeding portion 22 can be arranged at the same position, enabling the downsizing of the image forming apparatus and further reducing the number of parts, thereby reducing the cost. it can.

  The manual feed roller 24 is rotated by a signal from the apparatus main body 1, and is conveyed one by one to the sheet conveying unit 8 by the frictional force with the manual separation pad 25, and thereafter is conveyed from the feeding unit 3. It is processed in the same way as the sheet P. Here, for example, when a jam occurs because the paper cannot enter the fixing unit 17 accurately, the sheet P stops at the upstream side of the fixing unit 17. At this time, in order to perform jam processing, the door unit 2 is rotated clockwise around the shaft support portion 26 as a fulcrum, and is pulled out from the apparatus main body 1 to open the door unit 2. Thus, the sheet conveyance path can be opened, and the jammed sheet P can be easily taken out of the apparatus main body 1. At this time, if the door unit 2 is rotated to open, the manual feed unit 22 also rotates in conjunction with the manual feed unit 22 so that jam handling can be performed without causing an obstacle.

<Configuration of door unit and manual feed tray>
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration when the manual feed tray 23 is pulled out with the door unit 2 closed. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration in which the door unit 2 is opened with the manual feed tray 23 pulled out. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration when the door unit 2 is opened to the maximum with the manual feed tray 23 pulled out.

When the sheet P fed from the feeding unit 3 or the manual feeding unit 22 is jammed in the sheet conveyance path upstream from the fixing unit 17, the sheet conveyance path is opened in order to perform jam processing. In order to do this, it is necessary to open the door unit 2. For this reason, the door unit 2 is rotated clockwise around the shaft support portion 26 as a fulcrum and pulled out from the apparatus main body 1 to open the door unit 2. Since the manual feed unit 22 is integral with the door unit 2, the manual feed unit 22 also rotates in the same manner as the door unit 2. If the manual feed tray 23 is tilted downward from the horizontal direction, the sheet P falls if the sheets P are stacked on the manual feed tray 23. Therefore, in this reference example , a connecting member 28 that directly connects the apparatus main body 1 and the manual feed tray 23 is provided. One end (one end) of the connecting member 28 is fixed to the apparatus main body side fixing portion 29, and the other end (the other end) of the connecting member 28 is fixed to the manual feed tray side fixing portion 30. The manual feed tray 23 is supported so that the manual feed tray 23 is pulled and lifted by the connecting member 28 when the angle around the shaft support portion 26 reaches a predetermined angle above the horizontal direction. For this reason, the manual feed tray 23 can be maintained so that it does not tilt beyond that, that is, the sheet stacking surface of the manual feed tray 23 exceeds the horizontal.

  As a result, even if the door unit 2 is rotated about the shaft support portion 26 with the sheet P loaded on the manual feed tray 23, the manual feed tray 23 is always supported upward from the horizontal direction. The sheets P stacked on the manual feed tray 23 do not fall. Even if the shaft support portion 26 and the shaft support portion 27 are coaxial or provided on different axes, the above-described operation can be performed. For the connecting member 28, a flexible material such as a string or a band is selected.

Embodiment
Next, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The overall configuration of an image forming apparatus, and the duplicated description thereof is omitted because it is same as that shown in Figure 1 of Reference Example.

<Configuration of door unit and manual feed tray>
In the present embodiment, a connecting member bending portion 31 for bending the connecting member 28 is provided.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a state when the manual feed tray 23 is pulled out with the door unit 2 closed. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a state in which the door unit 2 provided with the connecting member bending portion 31 is being opened with the manual feed tray 23 pulled out. FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a configuration when the door unit 2 provided with the connecting member bending portion 31 is opened to the maximum with the manual feed tray 23 pulled out. FIG. 8 is a view showing an opening of the door unit 2 through which the connecting member is passed.

  The apparatus main body side fixing portion 29 of the connecting member 28 is provided at a position lower in the vertical direction than the manual feed tray side fixing portion 30 in a state where the manual feed tray 23 is closed. Incidentally, it is necessary to support the manual feed tray 23 and the load of the sheets P stacked on the manual feed tray 23 by the connecting member 28. In particular, when the apparatus main body side fixing portion 29 of the connecting member 28 is provided at a position close to the shaft support portion 27, the pulling force of the connecting member 28 and the manual feed tray 23 and the sheet P stacked on the manual feed tray 23 The direction of load is greatly different. For this reason, considerable strength is required for the connecting member 28, the apparatus main body side fixing portion 29 of the connecting member 28, and the manual feed tray side fixing portion 30 of the connecting member 28.

  Further, when the apparatus main body side fixing portion 29 of the connecting member 28 is provided below the vertical direction of the shaft support portion 27, it is impossible to linearly pull the apparatus main body 1 and the manual feed tray 23 by the connecting member 28. It is. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the connecting member bending portion 31 is provided in the door unit 2 and the connecting member 28 is bent to connect the apparatus main body side fixing portion 29 and the manual feed tray side fixing portion 30 of the connecting member 28. By doing so, it is possible to match the pulling force of the connecting member 28 with the manual feed tray 23 and the load direction of the sheets P stacked on the manual feed tray 23. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, even when the apparatus main body side fixing portion 29 of the connecting member 28 is provided at a position close to the shaft support portion 27, the connecting member 28 can receive a load efficiently. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the strength required for the connecting member 28, the apparatus main body side fixing portion 29 of the connecting member 28, and the manual feed tray side fixing portion 30 of the connecting member 28, and the connecting member 28 and the fixing portion can be simplified. Can be And even if the door unit 2 is rotated around the shaft support portion 26 with the sheet P loaded on the manual feed tray 23, the manual feed tray 23 is always supported upward from the horizontal direction. The sheets P stacked on the manual feed tray 23 do not fall.

  Note that the above-described operation can be performed even if the shaft support portion 26 and the shaft support portion 27 are provided on the same axis or on different axes. Further, in order to bend the connecting member 28 at the connecting member bending portion 31, the connecting member 28 is made of a flexible material such as a string or a band.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing an opening (through hole) 311 of the door unit 2 through which the connecting member 28 penetrates. Since the opening 311 of the door unit 2 only needs to have a dimension that allows the cross-sectional shape of the connecting member 28 to pass through, the opening area can be minimized. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the sound leakage of the operating part and improve the strength of the door unit 2. In the present embodiment, the connecting member bending portion 31 is provided at a position facing the opening 311 of the door unit 2.

<Storage structure of connecting member>
In order to prevent the connecting member 28 from being sandwiched when the door unit 2 and the manual feed tray 23 are closed, storage means for storing the extra length of the connecting member 28 is mounted. Next, a configuration for accommodating the extra length of the connecting member 28 will be described with reference to FIG.

The connecting member 28 is engaged with and fixed to a protrusion (not shown) in the connecting member fixing member 32 constituting the apparatus main body side fixing portion 29. The connecting member 28 is wound around and stored in a cylindrical connecting member fixing member (cylindrical member) 32. Connecting member fixing member 32 is biased through a power transmission means 301 in the counterclockwise direction by the tension spring 36 as an urging member. That is, the tension spring 36 generates an urging force that rotates the connecting member fixing member 32. Here, the power transmission means 301 is a rod member formed with a gear 33 that rotates integrally on the same axis as the connecting member fixing member 32, an intermediate gear 34 that meshes with the gear 33, and a rack that meshes with the intermediate gear 34. 35. The rod member 35 is biased upward by the biasing force of a tension spring 36 having a lower end attached to the rod member 35 and an upper end attached to the apparatus main body 1. By the urging force of the spring 36 pulling through the power transmission means 301 thus configured, the connection member fixing member 32 is biased in the counterclockwise direction, the connecting member 28 is always in the connecting member fixing member 32 It is biased in the winding direction.

  With the above configuration, a part of the connecting member 28 is accommodated in the connecting member fixing member 32 so that the connecting member 28 does not sag in a position other than the position where the manual feed tray 23 is fully open.

In the state where the manual feed tray 23 is opened, the force for urging the connecting member 28 is set to be smaller than the load of the manual feed tray 23, so that the manual feed tray 23 can be smoothly rotated. 28 does not sag. For this reason, the pinching by opening and closing of the door unit 2 and the manual feed tray 23 can be avoided. Closing the manual tray 23 manual-feed tray 23 from the open state, the connection member fixing member 32 by the biasing force of the tension spring 36 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the coupling member 28 on the outer circumference of the connecting member fixing member 32 Wrapped and stored. Note that this mechanism for storing the extra length of the connecting member 28 can also be applied to the above-described reference example .

  In the present embodiment, the mechanism for housing the connecting member 28 is provided in the apparatus main body 1, but may be provided in the door unit 2. In this case, an intermediate portion of the connecting member 28 having one end attached to the apparatus main body 1 and the other end attached to the manual feed tray 23 is wound and stored by a winding portion provided on the door unit 2.

As described above, in the reference example and the embodiment , the apparatus main body 1 and the manual feed tray 23 are coupled by the coupling member 28 so as to lift the manual feed tray 23. For this reason, in the turning operation of the door unit 2, it is possible to reduce the opening of the door unit 2 in which the connecting member 28 is movable while the manual feed tray 23 is restricted to an angle above the substantially horizontal direction. It is possible to reduce sound leakage during operation and improve the strength of the door unit 2. Further, since the apparatus main body side fixing portion 29 and the manual feed tray side fixing portion 30 of the connecting member 28 are highly flexible in position, it can be arranged at a position aiming at a limited space in a dense apparatus. is there. For this reason, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that achieves compactness, high performance, improved operability, and low cost of the apparatus main body 1.

In the above-described reference examples and embodiments , an electrophotographic printer has been described as an example of the image forming apparatus. However, the image forming apparatus is not limited to this, and includes a copying machine, a facsimile machine, an inkjet printer, Other devices may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Apparatus body 2 ... Door unit (door part)
22 ... manual feed section 23 ... manual feed tray 24 ... manual feed roller (sheet supply means)
26 ... Shaft support (first rotating shaft)
27: Shaft support (second rotating shaft)
28 ... Connecting member 29 ... Device main body side fixing part 30 ... Manual feed tray side fixing part 31 ... Connecting member bending part 32 ... Connecting member fixing member (cylindrical member)
33 ... gear 35 ... rod member 36 ... tension spring (biasing member)
301 ... Power transmission means 311 ... Opening (through hole)

Claims (8)

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet,
A door portion provided on the side surface of the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus so as to be openable and closable around a first rotation axis;
The door portion is provided so as to be able to be opened and closed by rotating about a second rotation shaft, and has a stacking surface on which the sheets are stacked in order to manually feed the sheets to the image forming apparatus when opened. Difference tray,
Sheet supply means for supplying the sheets stacked on the manual feed tray to the apparatus main body for image formation;
One end is attached to the apparatus main body, the other end is attached to the manual feed tray, and includes a connecting member that connects the apparatus main body and the manual feed tray so as to lift the manual feed tray.
Even when the connecting member is bent so as to be lifted by the door portion and the door portion is open, the angle around the second rotation axis of the stacking surface of the manual feed tray is higher than horizontal. An image forming apparatus characterized by being regulated so as to be   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is a string-like or belt-like member having flexibility. The said door part has a through-hole which the said connection member penetrates, The said connection member is bent so that the said through-hole lifts the said connection member, The Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Image forming apparatus. The vertical position of the one end of the connecting member attached to the apparatus main body is the position of the other end of the connecting member attached to the manual feed tray when the manual feed tray is closed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus is lower than a position in a vertical direction. Claims 1 to wherein said manual feed tray is further provided with a receiving means for receiving a portion of said connecting member so that the connecting member is not slack at the position other than the position of the fully open state Item 5. The image forming apparatus according to any one of Items 4 to 5 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the storage unit is provided in the apparatus main body, and stores a part of the connection member on the one end side. The storage means includes a cylindrical member for winding up the connecting member, and a biasing member that generates a biasing force that rotates the cylindrical member so as to wind up the slackening connecting member. Item 7. The image forming apparatus according to Item 6 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the storage unit is provided in the door portion and stores an intermediate portion of the connecting member.

Images